1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a building which can be carried in disassembled fashion in the bed of a pickup truck, erected on a building site, used for living quarters at the building site, disassembled and stored for transportation in a pickup truck.
2. Prior Art Statement
Numerous portable structures have been used by people for all time. Tents and Teepee have been used throughout the ages while newer portable buildings have rigid or semi rigid walls. Some portable buildings are transported enmass, that is, the structure is complete and transported by truck or rail while others are adapted to be permanently erected on site once all the materials are assembled. Most portable buildings require numerous screws, nails, bolts, hinges and hinge pins requiring power tools and several people many man-hours to assemble. Typical examples of these buildings are recited in the following prior art.
It is known to provide a plurality of wall panels hinged to adjacent panels or joining columns and additionally hinged to the floor wherein truss members are erected between the walls to form a roof support with additional panels joined together as roof elements. All panels have channels at the edges thereof which carry sealing gaskets. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,626 issued on Jan. 6, 1987, to Freeman, et al. Hundreds of screws are required to attach the hinges and locks to the panels.
It is also known to provide a basic box-like habitable unit built on a rectangular angle iron frame which then can be lifted with crane hooks. Lag screws and nails are necessary for assembly. No doors or windows are provided making access to the living quarters quite difficult. Once assembled, these buildings are moved as completed units. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,179 issued on Jan. 20, 1987 to Bigelow, Jr., et al.
It is further known to provide a containerized shipping container as part of the structure of this building wherein some of the panels are hinged to the container frame while others are removed therefrom and assembled by interlocking numbered panels together. All the composite panels are stored within the container. It is stated that hardboard siding is added to the exterior. For instance, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,919 issued on Jan. 09, 1990 to James W. Palibroda.
It is well known to provide panel members for mounting wall and ceiling panels wherein the panel members having receiving slots for the panels. For instance see the U.S. Des. Pat. No. 245,106 to Lloyd J. Scheid issued on Jul. 19, 1977.
Additionally, it is known to provide a multiple channel aluminum extruded wall stud for an in-plant portable, relocatable modular building which captures the laminated wall structures on either side of a central support of the stud. Separate inside and outside channels comprise the stud and must be assembled from opposite sides of the wall. These buildings are adapted for erection on an existing floor surface and are generally placed within another building such as a warehouse. For instance, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,938 issued on Mar. 27, 1990 to Jerry V. McGee and the U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,675 issued on Feb. 22, 1994 to Wayne R. McGee.
Another known portable building comprises a frame work structure assembled by slipping light gage box beams into formed receivers and bolting the structure together. Fabric is then stretched over the frame. The upright posts may be telescoping to accommodate uneven ground or alter the height of the building. This structure requires a great number of small bolts, screws, rivets or the like. It is stated that insulation panels comprising a foam core with dent resistant skins on opposite sides may be used in the roof and/or walls. For instance, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,005 issued on Aug. 26, 1997 to Michael T. Tacoma.
McGee, et al., in U.S. Des. Pat. No. 392,054 provide a one piece stud for the aforementioned modular building wherein it is presumed that wall panels are captured between the longer and shorter wings.
Yet another known portable structure comprises metal sheets welded to channels separating inner and outer skins by six inches. The space between the inner and outer skins is filled with xe2x80x9clight weight concrete.xe2x80x9d Using xc2xc inch steel for all skins an 8xc3x978xc3x978 building would weigh several tons including the concrete. These buildings are lifted by a crane and transported by heavy duty truck in order to relocate. For instance see the U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,062 issued on May. 26, 1998 to Electus P. Slater.
Finally, William H. Bigelow in his U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,864,992, 6,085,470, 6,088,969 issued on Feb. 2, 1999, Jul. 11, 2000 and Jul. 18, 2000 respectively, provides a portable building comprising a plurality of interconnected walls having a roof structure thereover wherein the walls and/or the roof structure are made of a flexible elastomeric material. No means for erecting the building is specifically recited.
The portable buildings in the prior art are generally intended to be transported to a first site, erected thereon and either left standing there or transported enmass to a new site. Most require a multi-person building crew at least one day and in many instances several days to erect. Few, if any, however, may be transported in the bed of a pickup truck, erected on a building site, used for living quarters at the site and thereafter be disassembled and transported in the pickup truck to a new site wherein the entire erection process may be completed within hours. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a portable building comprising a plurality of wall panels, a plurality of upright studs, a plurality of floor panels, a plurality of floor support members, a plurality of roof panels, a plurality of truss members wherein each edge of the plurality of wall panels is captured in a channel in one of the plurality of upright studs, the plurality of floor panels supported on the plurality of floor support members, the plurality of roof panels is supported on the plurality of truss members and wherein the building has at least one elongated fastener passing through at least two of the plurality of upright studs.
It is another object of this invention to provide a portable building comprising a plurality of wall panels, a plurality of upright studs, a plurality of floor panels, a plurality of floor support members, a plurality of roof panels, a plurality of truss members and at least one elongated fastener passing through at least two of the plurality of truss members.